airline seats are going to go fast. the hotel rooms are going to go fast. you want to book your vacation plans this summer as early as you possibly can. reporter: aaa projected over 42 million americans will have traveled 50 miles or more from home this memorial day weekend, a 7% increase from last year. just on the roads according to aaa more than 37 million motorists projected this weekend, up 6% from a year ago. those drivers are getting a pleasant surprise at the pumps. i am surprised, because everything else is going up a lot more. at least gas prices have kind of been stable. reporter: gas prices steeply down from a year ago. the national average today standing at $3.58 a gallon for regular according to aaa, down more than a dollar from the average at this time last year which was $4.60 a gallon. analysts say there are several reasons. the global price per barrel of oil is lower than last year and
the memorial day road trip is certainly back. aaa telling us just look at this number they anticipate more than 37 million americans will be taking to the roadways this memorial day weekend which is just, jim, underneath the 2019 pre-pandemic levels that we saw three years ago. but in terms of what advice aaa has for all of us taking the roads, here s what they told us. definitely inspect that vehicle before you take that long road trip. check your tire tread and inflation, make sure your battery has a good charge. make sure your fluid levels are topped off. during this memorial day weekend aaa anticipates coming to the roadside rescue of 460,000 stranded drivers. jim, we ve got to talk about gas prices. today the national average $3.58. a year ago it was all the way up to $4.60. it hit a record of $5 the national average june of last
americans traveling for memorial day weekend on the road. so this is the number right here. just over 37 million americans. but it does not exceed the number of americans who traveled memorial day 2019 before the pandemic. analysts tell us that could be because of inflation and still relevant telephone high gas prices. but aaa did give some advice for people who are about to begin their automotive journeys. definitely inspect that vehicle before you take that long road trip. check your tire tread and inflation, make sure your battery has a good charge, make sure your fluid levels are topped of. aaa anticipates coming to the roadside rescue of over 460,000 stranded drivers. reporter: the cost of gasoline, those prices aren t coming down from where we were last year. we had prices that were about $4.60 a year ago, a national average for around this memorial
just over 37 million americans. it does not exceed the number of americans who traveled in 2019 before the pandemic and that could be because of inflation and relatively high gas prices. aaa did give some advice for those who are about to begin their automotive journeys. listen to what they told us. inspect your vehicle before you take the long road trip. check your tire tread and make sure your battery has a good charge and fluid levels are topped off. aaa anticipates coming to the roadside rescue of 460,000 stranded drivers. in terms of fuel, the cost of gasoline, those prices are coming down from where we were last year. we had prices that were about $4.60 one year ago. the national average now is $3.58. prices are relatively high in terms of historical terms but coming down. especially in california.
topped off. during this memorial day weekend, aaa anticipates coming to the roadside rescue of more than 460,000 stranded drivers. reporter: the cost of gasoline, those prices aren t coming down from where we were last year. we had prices that were about $4.60 a year ago, a national average for around this memorial day weekend is $3.58. so prices are relatively high in terms of historical terms, but they are coming down. prices coming down especially here in california. the states of alaska, new jersey, new york, and florida. we did speak to analysts from gas dbud by, and they tell us i is less and less likely that the national average for gasoline across the united states will cross over $4 a gallon. that is good news for anybody, any american planning their great road trip for the summer of 2023. mike valerio, cnn, los angeles.